


Regression

by Whisper132



Series: The Parabola Continuum [5]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-20
Updated: 2009-03-20
Packaged: 2017-10-23 14:44:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/251490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whisper132/pseuds/Whisper132
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Gin and Osamu go grocery shopping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Regression

Gin didn't like going to the grocery store with Osamu. Not only did the housewives give Osamu eyes, but the old women kept asking if Gin was Osamu's younger brother, and wasn't it nice of the boys to be helping their mother out.

"Do I look like someone who still lives with his mom?"Osamu grumbled while inspecting some bags of carrots. "Is 158 yen a good price for these?"

"The organic ones are better and only 20 yen more expensive." Gin put the organic carrots in their shopping basket. "Thursday is a better day for produce. It's on sale in the afternoon. Today we're just checking out the dry goods and the meat. Saturdays are meat sale days." Gin looked around the produce area and spotted a woman giving Osamu the eye. She was buying single carrots and daikon quarters so she was probably single.

"You here to shop or you here to check out the ladies?" Osamu whispered, tapping Gin on the back with a sweet potato. "You've got a good chance. Look how she's touching those pumpkins. She probably digs bald guys."

This happened every time. From the moment Osamu allowed Gin to come over without the pretense of studying – it took three months after Gin received a key to the apartment for him to be allowed in without his school bag – Osamu kept trying to pawn women off on Gin. Maybe it was Osamu's way of getting rid of some of his guilt, but it pissed Gin off. If Gin wanted to pick up an older woman, he wouldn't be doing it in the produce section and he wouldn't ask Osamu to come with him.

"Ishida-kun!"

Gin turned toward the mushrooms and waved at the elderly woman calling to him.

"Friend of yours?" Osamu whispered. Gin noted that Osamu's posture was straightening.

"She's usually here when I come shopping. She gave me the recipe for the soup I made last week."

"That was good stuff." Osamu circled toward Gin's back.

"Are you hiding?" Gin asked.

"Does she know?"

"Know what?"

Osamu hit Gin with the sweet potato. "Does she _know_?"

Gin didn't get to answer because the old woman wheeled her cart up. "Buying vegetables on a meat day?" she asked, looking Gin's basket.

"Only some emergency items," Gin said. "I'll get the rest on Thursday."

The old woman smiled. "Oh good. I thought you'd forgotten our lessons." She rolled her cart a little. "Who's your shy friend?"

Gin had a strange urge to tell the old lady the truth. He couldn't tell her, though, because even old ladies could have connections. "Family friend," he said. "I told him I'd show him how to cook."

The old lady stared at Osamu. "I've seen you in the ramen aisle," she said. "I always worried you'd die of malnutrition. If you need anything, you come and ask me."

"Uh, thanks," Osamu said. "We, um, gotta go buy meat and get back. I have stuff to do. At home. Important stuff." Osamu pulled the cart away from Gin and headed away.

Gin apologized to his grocery mentor and followed. "That was rude," he said once he caught up with Osamu.

"Old ladies creep me out. Buy some pork and let's go."

"The pork is overpriced today. We're getting ground beef." Gin began inspecting packages while Osamu kicked at the wheel of the shopping cart. Usually Gin enjoyed his time at the grocery store; he should have known better than to bring Osamu along. "You can just wait in the car if you want."

"You're pissed about something." Osamu wheeled the cart a little closer.

If Osamu was going to say anything else, Gin didn't hear it. A tap on his shoulder drew his attention away.

"Excuse me," said the pumpkin woman, "have you tried these seasonings before?" She held up two packets of hamburger seasoning. "That lady told me you would know a good brand."

Gin looked quickly past the pumpkin woman and saw the old woman waving to him from the fish counter. Ridiculous. "The mushroom flavored packets are best," he told the pumpkin woman. "I hope that helps."

"It does," she said. "Thank you." She paused. "Do you have any suggestions for cooking-"

"Just follow the instructions on the packet." Osamu pushed his cart forward between Gin and the woman. "We're late," he said, grabbing a package of meat and throwing it into the cart. "Let's go."

Gin waited until they were in the car to say, "I thought you wanted me to check out the ladies."

"Shut up and put your seatbelt on," Osamu grumbled. "And don't talk to weird old ladies who put shitty ideas in your head."

Even though Osamu's jealousy was kind of cute, Gin wasn't really in the mood to humor it. "If you don't like it, then stop telling me to find a woman to go out with," Gin said.

Osamu started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "It's for your own good."

"You're just saying it so you don't feel weird about us." Gin had given it a lot of thought and, while he understood Osamu's position, it was about time Osamu stopped being stupid. "If you don't want me to come over, just tell me." When he decided to pursue Osamu, Gin knew he would have to be the adult in the relationship, but he didn't think it would be this bad.

The grocery store wasn't far from Osamu's apartment, and they were pulling into Osamu's parking spot before the other man responded.

"I gave you a key, right?"

"Yes."

"And I bought that extra futon set, right?"

"Yes." Though, really, Gin had had to mention that an extra futon set was a good idea perhaps five dozen times before Osamu broke down and bought it.

"And I let you cook and clean and arrange my crap the way you want, right?" Osamu reached into the center console and took out his cigarettes. "I do all this weird crap for you, so why the hell are you complaining? It's not like _you've_ had to change anything, right?" Osamu lit up and got out of the car.

"I argue with you," Gin said, getting out of the car and helping to carry in the groceries. "I don't argue with anyone else."

"Teenagers argue," Osamu said. "It's what they do." He opened the apartment and kicked off his shoes.

Gin closed the door, close on Osamu's heels. "Not me," he said, grabbing Osamu.

They stood near the entryway, Osamu smoking with one hand while Gin held fast to his other arm. Gin wasn't letting go until Osamu said something, explained why he was always trying to push Gin away when they'd reached an agreement.

"Is there something you want me to change?" Gin asked. "Will you stop freaking out if I do?"

Osamu kept puffing away at his cigarette. "Just do whatever," he said.

Gin's grip on Osamu's arm tightened and Osamu dropped the grocery bag he was holding. "If I did whatever, you'd start talking about prison and I'd have to stop." Gin let his own grocery bags go and brought his other hand to Osamu's shoulder, pushing the man toward the wall. "I know you're not stupid," he said. "You know I'm serious and I know you're not joking around with me, so why do you keep acting like an asshole?"

"Kids shouldn't use that kinda language. Your mom'd cry if she heard you-"

Gin used his body to press Osamu further into the wall. Usually he didn't think about how much smaller the other man was, but with Osamu's head pressing into his shoulder, he couldn't avoid thinking about it. Osamu was light, too. He knew this from a few nights when he'd had to carry Osamu from the couch to his futon. If Gin wanted to, he could do anything, and Osamu wouldn't be able to stop it.

Gin stepped back, took a breath, and picked up the grocery bags. "I'll put these away."

"I can do it," Osamu said. "You can just watch TV or something."

Gin dropped the groceries and stormed into the living room. "Fine. If that's what you want." His heart was beating fast and he wanted to hit something. He had to get it together before he did something catastrophic. Breathe in. Breathe out. Visualize.

Gin's calm returned and he opened his eyes.

"You back to Earth now?" Osamu asked, mouth close to the rim of a beer can. "You've been zoned out for a while."

"How many beers did you drink?"

"This is my second. Why? Got a problem with it?"

Gin swore Osamu was just doing it to piss him off. Fine. Now that Gin had his head back on straight, he was able to digest the situation better and he wasn't going to fall into Osamu's trap. "You don't think I'm serious," Gin said. "That's why you keep getting upset and trying to test me."

Osamu continued to drink his beer.

"If I was just joking around," Gin continued, "I wouldn't have let you go just now." He took a moment to suppress the sense memory of Osamu pressed tightly to him. "You know how strong I am. You know what I could do to you." He took another moment. Saying things like this out loud was not good for his physical well being. "I don't do it because I don't want you to hate me. I want you to want to…"

Osamu put down his beer. "You make this stuff taste bad," he said.

Gin wasn't going to be pulled into the distraction. He knew why Osamu was freaking out and, even though he was going to feel awkward, he knew what he needed to do.

"I like you," Gin said. "It's not a joke and I'm not going to go off with a woman, even if you tell me to."

Osamu looked away and took a swig of beer. "You don't need to say stuff like that out loud."

Gin went to Osamu and took away the beer. "I like you," he repeated, thinking that saying it the second time was twice as embarrassing but no less necessary. "I liked you when you smoked and drank too much beer and didn't clean up your apartment. When women look at you I want to rip their eyes out, and when you tell me to find a woman I want to punch you in the face."

On television a confession would be followed with a passionate make-out. Gin got smacked in the arm.

"I get it," Osamu said. "I'll chill out. Just don’t do that anymore. It's embarrassing."

"Why are you smiling?"

Osamu cleared his throat and turned away. "It was kinda cute, too, but only as a one-time thing. Guys don't need to say stuff like that."

Gin didn't agree, but let it go. His stomach was still flipping itself inside out, and he had to dispose of the beer before Osamu remembered it was there.


End file.
